How would you like your son or daughter to have a fantastic covered batting facility to use at Medlock Park? How would you like a newly designed parking lot with safe places for everyone to cross and no big holes and dips to collect water every time it rains? How would you like to be able to walk to fields 2, 3 and 4 without sloshing through muddy, wet ground? These are entirely possible and the DHYS Board of Directors is working towards making each of those a reality. It takes time, it takes planning, it takes money, but most importantly, it takes a commitment from the DHYS community.

DHYS will be launching its 2016 Capital Campaign soon, and in the mean time, we have created a fun, easy way to raise more money in one day that DHYS has raised in any other fundraiser EVER! We call it the 100,000 Grounder Challenge and we want your sons and daughters to participate in this inaugural event. So what is the 100,000 Grounder Challenge? We are so glad you asked.

The 100,000 Grounder Challenge will help our young players improve their baseball and softball skills quickly on the defensive side of things while raising a whole lot of money for the park improvements listed above. In the 100,000 Grounder Challenge, each player will field 1,000 ground balls in a single day. That's right! 1,000 grounders in a single day-talk about reps! Pick-ups, back-hands, forehands, live grounders, double play balls, slow rollers, you name it, they will do it-and lots of it! The players will flip, toss, drop (into a bucket), throw, and deposit, these grounders so their arms will not be overworked. What will be worked is proper technique over and over- a thousand times! So where does the fundraising come in? We are so glad you asked!

Leading up to the big day at Medlock, which is scheduled for Saturday January 9th (January 23rd as a make-up day), the players will solicit donations and pledges from friends, family, and neighbors. Our goal is to raise $100,000.00 for DHYS top begin the improvements to Medlock Park. The amount a person gives does not matter. They can donate a flat amount of any increment or they can donate an amount per grounder fielded. For instance, If someone pledges a penny per ground ball, they would make a $10 donation to DHYS; 5 cents per ground ball would equate to $50 for DHYS. It only takes a little work walking through the neighborhood and making some phone calls to quickly get the donations coming in.

Our goal for ground balls and money coming in is audacious! We wanted to aim high and shoot for the stars. Wouldn’t you want your son or daughter to be a part of such a huge event?

We need players from all levels 8U and above to rise to the challenge and help us out. What it will require from each individual is a commitment to helping DHYS raise $100,000 towards several park improvement projects. This will be something they can use and also be a part of a great legacy to future generations of DHYS players. We want each player to set a specific goal and work as hard as they can to meet or exceed that goal. Every dollar helps and more players make our big goal that much easier to reach. We will have special prizes for any player that raises over $1,000.00. Click hereto download the 100,000 Grounder Challenge Pledge Form.

Here is what we need from you:

Commit to participating. You can email Monty deMayo at and let him know your son or daughter want to be a part of the 100,000 Grounder Challenge.

Set a fundraising goal for your son and daughter to reach

Download the forms from the DHYS website (Do to the homepage, then click on the Player Development Tab on the left side.

Start fundraising-DHYS is a 501(c)3 organization, so any donations are tax deductible-especially those looking for an end of the year donation.

Other questions? Download the Frequently Asked Questions formhere or email Monty deMayo at